Hours after the tragic Labor Day fire on the Conception, Rob Lowe shared his sympathy for the victims’ families and revealed he had been on board the diving boat “many times” before.
“My heart breaks for those onboard the Conception,” the Parks and Recreation actor, 55, wrote on Twitter on Monday. “An unspeakable horror on a boat I’ve been on many times. My prayers and thoughts are with the families.”
The 75-foot Conception was some 20 yards off the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, itself some 20 miles east of Southern California when the fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. on Monday.
The Coast Guard and local fire departments responded but the boat — ravaged by the fire — sank into the water later Monday, officials said. A total of 39 people were reported on board the boat at the time of the fire including six crew members, according to the Coast Guard. Five of the crew members have been found alive after they were able to paddle in a dinghy to a nearby boat, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation and names are being withheld pending next of kin notifications,” the Coast Guard said on Monday.
My heart breaks for those onboard the Conception. An unspeakable horror on a boat I’ve been on many times. My prayers and thoughts are with the families.
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) September 2, 2019
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According to NBC News and The Associated Press, 25 bodies from the fire have reportedly been recovered. At least nine people are still missing as the search for survivors continues, NBC News reported. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for confirmation.
On Monday, Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester warned families to “be prepared to move into the worst outcome.”
The survivors were the only ones awake when the blaze broke out while the passengers were asleep below deck.
“You couldn’t have asked for a worse scenario,” Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters Monday.
The Conception had been on a three-day Labor Day diving cruise for a local excursion company at the time of the fire, according to the website.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate.
The Coast Guard spokeswoman reportedly said Monday that the Conception “has been in full compliance” and “we are working deliberately with the vessel owner-operator who is with us at the time.”
Truth Aquatics, which owns the Conception, could not be immediately be reached by PEOPLE on Monday. Representatives from the company declined to comment to other news outlets.